The Zika epidemic 'vaccinated' half of Latin America, so it won't happen again

August 31, 2018

Dr. Eva Harris from the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health was on the ground in Nicaragua when Zika hit.

Working with Nicaraguan colleagues, she used an antibody test specific to Zika and determined that in just two to three months in Nicaragua, nearly 50 per cent of the entire population — 56 per cent of adults and 36 per cent of all children — were infected with the virus.

Since those infected by Zika are immune to furture infection, the population can't ustain a new Zika outbreak since there just aren't enough vulnerable people. It helped scientists explain why after the massive outbreak two years ago, the explosive spread of Zika ended.